


Dad Shoes

by Lady Angel (dameange)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-05
Updated: 2011-01-05
Packaged: 2017-10-14 18:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/152200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dameange/pseuds/Lady%20Angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Spencer had to step into his “dad” shoes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dad Shoes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kuriadalmatia](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kuriadalmatia).



> A great big thank you [](http://history-doc.livejournal.com/profile)[**history_doc**](http://history-doc.livejournal.com/) for the betaing, cheerleading and fabulous advice!

When his lover first asked if he could put Spencer’s name down on Jack’s emergency phone numbers list, he had said okay. He had been fairly secure in the knowledge that someone in front of him on that list (Haley, Aaron, Haley’s sister Jessica, Aaron’s brother, and both sets of grandparents) would be available should anything happen to Jack.

Spencer should have really recalculated those odds.

He arrived at Jack’s school mere minutes after the school’s nurse had called him. After explaining that she couldn’t reach anyone else on the list, she asked if he could come get a feverish, cranky five-year-old Jack. He had hesitantly agreed, leaving the BAU in a borrowed Bureau SUV because he had been dropped off by Aaron, who at the moment was incommunicado while conducting prisoner interviews with Rossi. He was new to the rigmarole of taking a child out of school, but he weathered it by following directions and using the process to distract himself from the anxiety of taking care of a sick Jack.

“Spence?” a little voice asked from behind him. “Where’s Daddy?”

Spencer turned, smiling automatically at the rather puppy-pathetic little boy before him. Jack looked up at him with such pitiful brown eyes that Spencer found himself hoisting the boy up onto his hip and cuddling the too-hot body. “Your dad’s interviewing some bad guys with Uncle Dave. He’ll be home soon. How are you feeling, Jack?”

“I’m hot and cold and it hurts and I want Daddy.” Jack streamed all those words out in one breath, then hid his face in Spencer’s neck, little arms wrapped around him tight.

Spencer could only soothe him with circles rubbed into his back. Turning to the nurse that had accompanied Jack into the administration office, he asked, “Do you have Jack’s medical information?”

“Of course.” She placed an opened folder on the desk.

Reading the information over quickly, memorizing it, he nodded his thanks. “C’mon, Jack, I think we need to check in with Dr. Clinton.”

“Don’t want a shot,” Jack mumbled, feebly shaking his head.

“He may not give you a shot,” he refuted, biting his lip when Jack mumbled, “Don’t want nasty medicine either.”

“Don’t you want to feel better so you can play?”

Jack made a strange little noise, half pitiful, half resigned.

“You know,” the nurse said, breaking into their conversation, “it’s probably just a cold. A doctor’s visit is probably not necessary.”

“Thank you for taking care of him. I think it’s time I get him home.” He could tell she was trying to be helpful, but he had never taken care of a sick child before. And Jack wasn’t just some random kid, he was Aaron’s son.

“Wait, don’t you want to take this with you?” The nurse held out Jack’s medical file.

Spencer shook his head. “I’ve already memorized it, thanks.”

Leaving the blinking nurse, he carefully hugged Jack to him, already planning the fastest route to Jack’s pediatrician.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The doctor had been much more helpful. After she had calmly stopped his recitation of Jack’s medical record, she had given Jack a thorough examination and then explained everything Spencer needed to know to make the next few hours bearable for the ill little boy. After getting back to their condo, Spencer installed Jack into a nest of blankets and pillows on the couch. He glanced around to see what he could use to distract Jack while he made lunch for them both. Remembering how Aaron would turn on a video to entertain his son while he and Spencer worked, Spencer turned to the DVD shelf and selected Jack’s favorite video.

“You watch Cars and I’ll make us some lunch, okay?”

Jack nodded, bleary eyes already on the screen, hands clutching a stuffed McQueen.

Fixing lunch had been easy: elbow macaroni noodles in chicken broth for Jack, a sandwich for Spencer. Getting Jack to eat his lunch was another thing.

“C’mon, Jack, you need to eat to take your medicine.”

Jack shook his head, arms crossed over his cuddly, mouth stubbornly shut.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Jack vehemently shook his head, face flush with fever, scrunched with illness and stubbornness.

Spencer tried everything: acting like the spoon was Lightning McQueen trying to get back onto the garage of Jack’s mouth, he tried the ‘monkey-see-monkey-do’ technique and ate some of the bland soup himself, he even tried to pretend that the stuffed McQueen was eating the soup. Nothing worked, until he remembered when he had been sick and his mom had bribed him with ice cream. Not only did it get him to eat what he needed and to take his medicine, the ice cream helped to cool down his overheated body.

“Jack, if you finish your soup and take your medicine, I’ll let you have ice cream.”

Jack blinked at him, suspicious, trying to figure out the angle. Spencer kept his lips pressed tightly together. The son reminded him of the father when Aaron was trying to figure out why Morgan was bringing him coffee and donuts. Inevitably, Morgan would ask if he could take a long lunch.

“Birthday cake ice cream?” Jack asked.

Mentally rolling through the inventory of groceries they kept on hand, Spencer nodded. “We have a pint left.”

“How much is a pint?” Jack leaned forward, interested now.

Spencer held up the soup bowl. “A pint is about this much.”

Jack’s eyes lit up.

“But you’re not getting that much.”

“Awww, but you said--”

“Jack, if you eat it all now, you won’t get any after dinner,” Spencer reasoned, proud of himself when he saw the capitulation on Jack’s face.

“Okay.”

The soup disappeared quickly, but the medicine took the threat of no ice cream and the reminder that the deal was for all of the soup and the medicine for the ice cream.

Jack glared at him with all his might, easily conveying his extreme displeasure at the liquid fever-reducing medication, but he took it all the same. Halfway through the ice cream, Jack fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

High on the success of the first time he had fed and given Jack his medicine, when Jack woke up after his nap, Spencer proposed another video and more soup. The soup was taken and eaten with nary a sound, but the DVD idea didn’t do so well.

“No.” Jack shook his head, not even looking at the Toy Story DVD he held out.

“Monsters, Inc.?”

“No.”

“The Incredibles?”

Jack wavered, but then frowned. “No.”

He went through every single video that Aaron had deemed Jack-appropriate, but each and every one was shot down in a ball of flames and frowning. He was getting a little desperate. The doctor said Jack had to take his medicine every four hours and two and half of those had already passed. Remembering how his mother had bargained him into eating and how that had worked on Jack, he decided to try another one of her tricks. “How about I read to you instead?”

Jack looked like he was on the verge of saying no, but then stopped. “Read what?”

Spencer furiously flipped through the card catalog of books in his mind, trying to find something suitable for a five year old boy. His mother had read him all sorts of things during his childhood, but not all of it could be considered children’s literature. “Oh! How about the Lord of the Rings?”

Something must have clicked because Jack looked more interested than ever. “What’s that about?”

“Well, it’s an adventure story. Frodo Baggins is the main character. He has to destroy an evil ring before the ring’s owner can get it back or all of Middle Earth is doomed to darkness.”

Jack’s eyes were wide.

Spencer nudged him to eat his soup. It was quite adorable, seeing those dark brown eyes, wide and excited over the rim of the soup cup. He settled next to Jack and began the story. “The book is largely concerned with Hobbits, and from its pages a reader may discover much of their character and a little of their history. Further information will also be found . . . .”

Spencer trailed off when he saw Jack glaring at him. He cleared his throat. “Is there a problem, Jack?”

“That’s the beginning of the story?”

“Well, technically, it’s the prologue, but it describes all of the races of Middle Earth and some say--”

“It’s boring, Spence.”

Spencer blinked. Jack was frowning at him again, dinner forgotten in his lap.

“You said it was an adventure story.” The little boy was accusing and disappointed and Spencer had no idea what to say or do except to mutter, absolutely baffled, “But it is an adventure story.”

He grabbed for the soup cup that Jack thrust at him, barely catching the little boy in time as he struggled out of the nest of blankets and pillows. “Jack, what are you . . . where are you going? Do you need the bathroom?”

“No. I’m okay. You stay there.” Jack disappeared into his room, coming out a moment later with a book clutched in his hands.

Spencer grabbed the book when Jack handed it to him, but put it aside to help him back into his nest. Once Jack was settled and had his soup cup in hand, Spencer picked up the book to study it. “Where the Wild Things Are,” he muttered, flipping the book open.

“That’s an adventure story,” Jack instructed between sips. He pointed to the picture where the main character was dressed in a wolf’s costume and staring down imaginary creatures four or five times his size.

Finishing the book in less than two minutes, Spencer realized that while The Lord of the Rings was a classic adventure story, Jack was too young to understand all of the minutia that made it such a literary classic. He glanced over at Jack. “Do you want me to read this one to you?”

To his surprise, Jack shook his head. “I want a new one.”

“A new story?”

Jack nodded.

Spencer blinked. Well, technically, he could do that. “The Lord of the Rings starts with Bilbo Baggins and his birthday party.”

“Once upon a time,” Jack interrupted.

Spencer blinked at him.

Jack sighed, then patiently answered, “All the good stories start with ‘once upon a time.’”

“Oh.” Spencer decided he was just going to go with whatever made Jack happy, because in his experience, none of the stories started that way, period. “Okay, once upon a time there was a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. A hobbit was a very short person. The adults were no bigger than you.”

Jack grinned, settling down, avidly listening as Spencer wove the tale of Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship of the Ring. He simplified it so that Jack could understand, leaving out details that he had found fascinating, but would probably just bore Jack. Halfway through the story, he gave Jack his medicine and soon after, Jack fell asleep once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey.”

Spencer nearly jumped out of his skin. He blinked the sleep from his eyes to look up at his lover. A warm, small weight was nestled into his side. He blinked down at Jack, running his hand over baby-soft hair. “Aaron?”

“Hi.” Aaron pressed a light kiss to his lips, then bent to press one of his son’s forehead. “How’s he doing?”

A yawn hijacked his breath before he could answer.

“Daddy?”

“Hey, Jack.” Aaron picked Jack up, blankets and all, only to take his son’s place. He cuddled his son, but angled his body so that Spencer could tuck himself between Aaron and the couch.

Spencer propped him chin on Aaron’s strong shoulder, then reached around to take the hand that Jack was holding out.

“How are you feeling, buddy?” Aaron asked his son, competent hands petting and checking on his son’s wellbeing.

“Okay. Spence let me have ice cream. Twice!”

“Did he now?” Aaron sent him an amused look over his shoulder.

Spencer smiled sheepishly. “It was the only way to get him to eat and take his medicine. And, it cools down his fever,” he defended himself in a quiet whisper.

Aaron smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Good thinking.”

Spencer relaxed, curving himself around his lover and their son.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After Aaron had spoken to Haley and received permission to keep Jack overnight, they put the little boy to bed in his room before heading towards their own.

“Thanks for taking care of him,” Aaron murmured into their kiss.

When Spencer shrugged, Aaron pulled back with a frown.

“Spencer?”

He shrugged again, looking over Aaron’s shoulder into Jack’s room. “Did I do it right?”

Aaron pulled back even further, those dark eyes of his studying Spencer’s face. He didn’t know what Aaron saw in it, but he was kissed again. It was slow, languid, sweet in a way that had him melting into Aaron’s embrace.

“You were perfect.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Spencer woke when his comfortable Aaron-pillow slid out from underneath his cheek. He blinked, barely able to see in the dark without his glasses. The bedroom door opened and closed, but Aaron was still in the room, heading back to bed with a distorted shape in his arms. A foot away, Spencer smiled as he made out Jack, McQueen, and the blanket from Jack’s bed in Aaron’s arms. He held out his arms, taking the bundle from Aaron. Jack was still a little warm, but better than he was this morning. “You okay, Jack?”

The little boy nodded. “Wanna sleep with you and Daddy.”

“Okay.” Spencer sleepily grinned at Aaron as kisses were passed around and covers were pulled over them all. He cuddled Jack in his arms as Aaron pulled them both into his embrace.

The End

  



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